Battle telepath
Some wielders of psychic power seek to extend and stretch the depths of their psionic power to assist their abilities in many different ways. Some small select few, those who are quite gifted in the telepathic arts, find that they are able to distil certain psionic powers into a weapon of great potency as a psychic blade. This psychic blade may be used as a delivery medium for their telepathic abilities as well as a potent melee weapon. Battle telepaths, as they are called, learn to use their telepathic mastery as both offense and defense in pursuit of greater psionic knowledge and personal glory or power. Most battle telepaths hail from the ranks of single classed psions or multiclassed psion/fighters. Others are wilders who have taken the Expanded Knowledge feat or ardents with the Mental Power mantle. *Hit Die: d8 Entry Requirements *Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Knowledge (psionics) 6 ranks, Psicraft 6 ranks *Feats: Narrow Mind, Psionic Body, Psionic Meditation *Psionics: Manifester level 5th, ability to manifest mind thrust and read thoughts. Class skills Autohypnosis (Wis), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Tumble (Dex). Skill Points per Level: 2 + Int modifier. Battle Telepath *Level BAB Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Manifesting *1st +1 +0 +2 +2 Telepathy 100ft, psychic blade *2nd +2 +0 +3 +3 Telepathic defense,discipline focus,+1 level of manifesting class *3rd +3 +1 +3 +3 Improved psychic blade , +1 level of manifesting class *4th +4 +1 +4 +4 Bonus psionic feat, +1 level of manifesting class *5th +5 +1 +4 +4 Focusing strike, +1 level of manifesting class *6th +6 +2 +5 +5 Mindreaver, +1 level of manifesting class *7th +7 +2 +5 +5 Greater discipline focus,+1 level of manifesting class *8th +8 +2 +6 +6 Bonus psionic feat, +1 level of manifesting class *9th +9 +3 +6 +6 Superior psychic blade +1 level of manifesting class *10th +10 +3 +7 +7 Soulreaver +1 level of manifesting class Class Features Weapons and Armor proficiency: The character gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies. Powers Known: At every level but 1st, a battle telepath gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if he had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that he adds the level of battle telepath to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, and then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly. If a character had more than one manifesting class before he became a battle telepath, he must decide to which class he adds the new level of battle telepath for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level. *Telepathy (Su): The battle telepath has specialized deeply in the telepathy discipline through his knowledge of the read thoughts power, gaining the telepathy special ability with a range of 100ft. A creature with this ability can communicate telepathically with any other creature within a certain range that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time. *Psychic Blade (Su): The battle telepath’s skill in the discipline of telepathy allows him to distill his knowledge of the psionic power mind thrust into creating a potent weapon as a swift action. This weapon may take the form of any melee weapon the wielder wishes, but it always inflicts 1d10 points of damage plus the manifester’s primary manifesting attribute modifier (Intelligence for psions and lurks, Wisdom for ardents and psychic warriors, and Charisma for wilders). This weapon functions as a one handed weapon that may be used in conjunction with the Weapon Finesse feat, and has a critical threat range of 20/x2. The psychic blade may not be used in combination with Strength-based feats such as Power Attack; the ethereal nature of the weapon contains no substance with which to put forth physical strength with (which also makes it invulnerable to sunder and disarming attempts), but feats such as Psionic Weapon work normally. Even in places where psionic effects do not normally function (such as within a null psionics field), a battle telepath can attempt to sustain his psychic blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the battle telepath maintains his psychic blade for a number of rounds equal to his class level before he needs to check again. On an unsuccessful attempt, the psychic blade vanishes. As a swift action on his turn, the battle telepath can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize his psychic blade while he remains within the psionics negating effect. This is a mind-affecting ability. *Telepathic Defense (Su): The battle telepath’s skill within his specialty grows to assist him in combat by reading the surface thoughts and intentions of his foes that lie within the range of his telepathy. He gains an insight bonus to his armor class equal to his primary manifesting attribute modifier to a maximum of his class level. A battle telepath must be capable of reading the thoughts of a creature to gain this bonus to armor class, thus he does not gain telepathic defense against mindless creatures such as oozes, most constructs, and some forms of undead. This bonus to armor class otherwise functions as the monk’s bonus to armor class, save that it functions in light armor as well. *Discipline Focus (Ex): The character’s focus on telepathic powers grants you a +2 DC on telepathy powers that he manifests, and a +2 insight bonus to resist powers of that discipline. *Improved Psychic Blade (Su): The character’s skill with his psychic blade has improved, granting the weapon greater substance and potency. The psychic blade inflicts 2d10 points of damage plus his primary manifesting attribute modifier. Additionally, the weapon gains a degree of realism by becoming partially ectoplasmic, gaining an enhancement bonus equal to half the character’s class level. The weapon gains a hardness score equal to the battle telepath’s primary manifesting attribute modifier and gains hit points equal to twice that amount. Due to the psychic blade’s semi-real composition, it may now be used with Strength based feats as well. If the weapon is ever sundered or disarmed, it may be recalled again by the battle telepath as a swift action on his next turn. As it possesses this semi-real nature, it may inflict half damage to creatures who are immune to mind-affecting abilities. *Bonus Psionic Feat: The battle telepath gains a bonus psionic or metapsionic feat of his choice at 4th level. He gains an additional bonus psionic feat or metapsionic feat of his choice at 8th level. The character must qualify for the feat to select it. *Focusing Strike (Ex): A battle telepath’s success in battle with his psychic blade grants him strengthening mental clarity. Any time the character strikes the same foe twice in the same round with his psychic blade, he may regain his psionic focus as a swift action. *Mindreaver (Su): A battle telepath of 6th level has gained incredible control over his telepathic abilities. The character may manifest a power of the telepathy discipline (maximum level of the power cannot exceed half of your manifester level) through his psychic blade as a swift action as part of an attack. The power manifested only affects the target of the psychic blade, regardless of the power’s normal area or augmentations that would allow for multiple targets. *Greater Discipline Focus (Ex): Your strength with telepathic abilities grows due to specialization, granting you an additional +2 DC bonus to the saving throws of any telepathic power you manifest. Additionally, you gain a +2 bonus to manifester level checks to overcome power resistance when using a power of the telepathy discipline. *Superior Psychic Blade (Su): A battle telepath of 9th level has mastered the manifestation of his telepathic might in the form of his psychic blade. The psychic blade now inflicts 4d10 points of damage plus the character’s primary manifesting attribute modifier. The physical nature of the weapon increases as well, making the weapon no longer a mind-affecting ability, and extending its critical threat range to 18-20/x2. *Soulreaver (Su): The potency of the battle telepath’s psychic blade becomes crippling to enemies upon critical hits. Upon a successful critical hit, the weapon does damage as normal plus an additional 2d4 Charisma damage as if the victim had been subject to an ego whip (no save allowed).